Like the idea of having a network-connected smoke alarm in your house, but don’t like the idea of replacing your oldschool alarms with expensive “smart” models like Nest Protect and the like? Not to worry– there’s a new gizmo on the rise that aims to give you the best of both worlds.
Instead of purchasing a handful of brand-new smart alarms, the Roost smart battery offers a way to retrofit your existing smoke/carbon monoxide alarms and give them an entire range of smart functions. It’s shaped exactly like a regular 9-volt battery, but in addition to functioning as a rechargeable power source, the device is also equipped with a set of Wi-Fi radios that allow it to connect to your home network.
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This way, when the battery gets low, Roost can push a notification to your smartphone over the network to let you know in advance — thereby mitigating any chance of you being rudely awoken by the beep of a power-starved smoke alarm in the middle of the night. The device can also alert you via smartphone when your alarm is activated by smoke or carbon monoxide, so you’ll know when your house is in danger even if you’re not at home.
Roost isn’t quite available just yet, but the creators expect to release it sometime around June of next year, and have recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for production. If you back the project now during the early stages, you can get your hands on one Roost battery for a pledge of 35 bucks, or pre-order a set of two for $55.
Updated on November 12, 2014 to include Kickstarter availability.
